The Rewatch Project: Season 2 Episode 1

Synopsis 

Joffrey makes people kill each other because he's bored. Or it's his name day. Whatever. Ser Dontos appears drunk and Joff is going to fill him with wine but Sansa says he can't. It's bad luck. The Hound backs her up so he says he'll wait until tomorrow. Sansa cleverly suggests he'd make a better fool. He doesn't deserve a clean death. Tyrion arrives and baffles Joffrey.

Pycelle carries in a white raven and declares summer over. Littlefinger practically declares if winter is too long, they can eat the peasants... or something like that. Tyrion comes in and baffles Cersei. He passes Varys a note and Varys announces Tywin has named Tyrion acting Hand. Cersei kicks everybody out and he points out all the ways she's messed up.

Bran and Lewin perform Lord's duties and hear their people's troubles. Lewin is a good teacher and he and Bran each impose some wise solutions. As a wolf dream later, Bran/Summer note the red commet, then when awake he and Osha discuss what it means. There are half a dozen theories but Osha insists it means dragons.

Dany's Khalisar is hurting bad. Her Silver dies and so she sends her three blood riders each in a different direction to see which way they should go.

The Ranging group arrives at Craster's Keep where a greedy old man keeps trading niblets of information for stuff... wine, weapons. The wildlings are all gathering with Mance Rayder—an enormous army to march south. We learn Craster marries his daughters but nobody answers what he does with his sons. Mormont has to reprimand Jon for insolence because he can't hide how disgusted he is on his face. Mormont tells him if he wants to lead, he needs to learn to follow.

On Dragonstone Melissandre is burning the seven and tells of the prophecy of Azor Ahai pulling Lightbringer from flames. Stannis pulls out a sword from one of the fires. The Maester keeps trying to enlist Davos to stop her. He reminds the men they were all born in the light of the seven. Stannis hysterically dictates (and revises) a note to go everywhere in the seven kingdoms about Cersei's children being bastards. Davos begs Stannis to make peace with Renly and Robb, but Stannis will hear nothing of it. (How different would this story have been if he would, eh?)At dinner later he calls for peace but tries to poison her when they drink together—he dies but she does not.

Robb attends Jaime in his camp and tells him the content of Stannis's letter. Jaime asks why they keep dragging him along and Robb proves he is smarter than Jaime would have guessed. Grey Wind gets in Jaime's face.

Shae raves about the fabulous smell of corpses, shit and cum... or something. She loves the city. She and Tyrion then talk of liars.

Cersei asks Lord Baelish to look for Arya and hints at his Catelyn crush. Petyr then overshoots and suggests what he knows about she and Jaime, saying knowledge is power. She orders him seized and killed then stops them with careful step by step instructions, all of which they follow. She ends with “power is power”.

Alton Lannister is sent to King's Landing with Robb's terms:
 1) My sisters must be returned,
 2) My father's bones so they can be laid to rest in the crypts of Winterfell, along with the bones of all his men, and
 3) The North will be declared free and independent and Joffrey and the Queen must never set foot north of Moat Cailin or they will suffer the same fate Ned did, only Robb doesn't need a servant to swing the sword.

Theon asks for a word and suggests Robb send him to his father for ships. Catelyn warns Robb not to trust Baelon Greyjoy. Robb then asks his mother to go south and treat with Renly.

Joffrey is redecorating the Red Keep. Cersei keeps making suggestions and Joffrey keeps blowing her off. When he asks about the other women his father slept with because he was bored with her, she slaps him. He tells her that is punishable by death and she will never do it again then he dismisses her.

Roz teaches whore lessons. Janos Slynt comes in and kills the baby Barra, then the gold cloaks go on a rampage killing children left and right, presumably Robert's bastards. When they find the smith he tells them Gendry's name and that he has gone north with a bull helmet. Gendry and Arya are seen climbing onto the cart headed north.


Places and Faces 

The Red Waste: this is part of Essos—an expansive desert of red dirt, no water, and no people.

Craster's Keep: North of the wall a sick old coot lives with his dozens of daughters who are also his wives.

Dragonstone: And King Stannis, Melissandre (the red priestess), Ser Davos and for this one episode, Maester Cressen.


Notable Quotes 

Tyrion: We had three Starks to trade. You chopped ones head off and let another escape. Father would be furious. Must be odd for you. To be the disappointing child.  

Melissandre: The night is dark and full of terrors.  

Robb Stark: I trust them with my life. Just not yours. (to Jaime)  

Catelyn Stark: I do not trust Baelon Greyjoy because Baelon Greyjoy is not trustworthy. 

Season 2

So some of my thoughts are in contrast to season one... where characters are and how I feel about that. For instance Dany, after such a HIGH ending of season 1 is now in such a low spot, and so suddenly. It felt a bit jarring and I feel let down. Knowing what comes later I know this is Dany's path—high highs and low lows, but if I step back from knowing, this is hard twist. Robb, on the other hand, has kept on his upward trajectory.

I really liked the Stannis intro. Melissandre is creepy and Stannis is his own unique brand of rigid and dryly funny.

The episode had less content than any last season—I normally take 5 pages of notes and this was nearly a page short, but there was some good setup here and enough set in motion that I was happy with it.